Black Friday

It was Friday, the 09th March, 2007, when the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was summoned to the President’s Camp Office located in the Annexe of the residents of Chief of Army Staff, at Rawalpindi. But the Chief Justice of Pakistan found Pervaiz Musharraf in the Army Uniform, where according to an official handout, the Chief Justice of Pakistan was confronted with the allegations. Since, Chief Justice of Pakistan had “no answer” therefore, a Presidential Reference under Article 209 of the Constitution, 1973, was forwarded to the Supreme Judicial Council. No official explanation is available that why Chief Justice Iftikhar was kept for five (5) hours in the camp office and was not allowed to return to the Supreme Court Building.

The above episode was defined in the editorial of daily Dawn, Karachi, in its edition of 11th March, 2007 that “one is appalled to see photograph of a general in Uniform calling the country’s Chief Justice to his “Camp Office” as if the latter were a “suspect” in a case of embezzlement, thus stropping him of the dignity to which he was entitled to by virtue of the office he held………”.

It is very strange to note that summoning of Chief Justice of Pakistan; his questioning by General Pervez Musharraf; thereafter issuance of Reference; arrangements for oath taking of acting Chief Justice of Pakistan; conducting 1st hearing of Supreme Judicial Council on the same day within a span of 3/4 hours. At 3:30 p.m. the news of Reference was on electronic media. In the morning, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, has presided over Bench-I till _____. All this happened with the lightening speed. It exhibits that all was pre-arranged and pre-planned. The senior puisne Judge of Supreme Court, Justice Rana Bhagwandas had left on __________ to India, leaving Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal as next to Chief Justice of Pakistan.